Phone batteries fade. Laptop batteries wane. Your internal batteries need recharging, too. Come plug in at the NW corner of the Convention Center. Meet up with friends, record an interview, or just hang.

At the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, Zopim (www.zopim.com), a leading provider of cloud-based Customer Engagement solutions, will hijack the city of Austin, TX to sow the seeds of customer love.

Leveraging SXSW attendees' infamous love for the fun and wacky, "The Support Grinch", a superbad green monster will be unleashed onto the streets on 9th March 2012. He will terrorize innocent civilians with his unsanitary vocabulary, outrageous hairdo and evil smirk.

Fortunately, his green Achilles' Heel is well-documented - the Support Grinch hates hugs. This SXSW, join hands with thousands of heroes on HugTheGrinch.com to hunt the Grinch down. Snap photographic evidence of your loving heroics, and stand a chance to win great prizes, including the ultimate MacBook Air, sponsored by the customer lovers from Zopim!

Very much like the free hugs movement, our goal is to spread spontaneous fun and happiness at SXSW through this mobile game that we conceived in our spare time over the past two weeks.

Linking back to our business, customer engagement software is only part of the equation for customer happiness. We see our users inject great passion, humor and spontaneity when using Zopim to chat with their customers. This reinforces our belief that true customer joy can only be delivered when people within the organization are truly happy, in line with the values of the Delivering Happiness movement.

About Zopim

Aside from this fun HugTheGrinch side project, our full time job is building amazingly simple customer engagement tools. Our award winning flagship product - Zopim Live Chat - has helped more than 35,000 online businesses wow their customers through real time chat engagement. With Zopim, our customers are happily targeting high-value website visitors, chatting directly with customers, building great relationships and increasing brand equity, everyday.

How Socially Forward is your Business? Want to find out? Stop by the IBM Future of Social Lounge during SXSW Interactive for a social assessment, see where Social Business is headed, listen in on live conversations with Industry Innovators, recharge and refresh between sessions. Learn how IBM and their Business Partners are helping startups, developers and business leaders transform the future of business and get an invitation to our party.

5th Year Anniversary Celebration! For the last four years, the Blogger Lounge at SXSW has served as a central hub for celebrating friendship, innovation and collaboration. We are proud to announce that TechSet is once again partnering with Samsung to host the SXSW Blogger Lounge in 2012.

Recharge your batteries and your brain in our lounge, and find out about our lounge's Flash Mob Happy Hours by following us on Twitter (@AmericansElect) and via #sxaelounge.

We'll have charging stations, classic board games like Battleship, Connect Four, and Operation, videos to watch, swag, and a version of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots that we modded with donkey and elephant heads just for SXSW!

And if you happen to see a giant plush elephant and donkey walking around SXSW, they're with us. Like the two parties, they can't agree on anything. Tweet photos and videos of them in action at #donkeyVelephant and you could win your own Limited Edition Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots: Donkey v. Elephant Edition. Only five exist in the world!
More about Americans Elect:

We're hosting a national online primary this summer. Any registered voter can participate, and whoever the American people choose will be on the ballot nationwide, right next to the Republican and Democratic candidates.

We're nonpartisan, so it's completely up to you to pick this third option. We're using the internet to empower voters and circumvent the two parties. Together we'll pick a president, not a party. Check us out at www.AmericansElect.org !

The Beacon: Lounge With a Conscience returns as THE spot for cause-focused people to hang out with the best & brightest non-profit Geekerati. The WiFi will be speedy, the noms & drinks plentiful, the couches comfy and the do-gooding vibe pure awesome.

Once again, the fun-filled big top circus that is the Mashery Lounge will be back at SXSW 2012 in March. With great furnishings and flowing refreshments, the Circus Mashimus is a great place to talk API shop with Mashery folks or simply relax while catching up on email

Brands today exist in multiple mediums, defined by multiple voices. The media brands inhabit is iterative, with no beginning, no end, and little permanency. In that context, adherence to a big idea and endless repetition of centralized, fixed rules can make a brand seem unresponsive and out of step with its audience. But without repetition, how does a brand create consistency? And without consistency, how does a brand maintain value? This panel will debate, show examples and outline a new model within which experience designers show how brands should behave.

If you can't make this session, an encore presentation will be given on Saturday, March 10: 9:30am at the Austin Convention Center in Ballroom EF.

Quick and effective communication may run afoul of traditional Jewish culture for the “The People of the Book.” Consuming information in 140 characters requires true customization of message. Branding a nonprofit in a digital world is a highly effective endeavor, and a new feat for organizations nearly or exceeding a century in age! This panel’s discussion will focus on three key issues:( 1) Targeted Update Messages; (2) Bridging technological gaps between community leaders/communicators and social media experts; and (3) Community Engagement.

In the summer of 2011, New Me, the first technology accelerator focused on African American's was launched. The inaugural class was covered by the CNN documentary "Black in America" along with an exploration of the issues underlying low minority representation in the tech industry. This panel will discuss the issues raised, things not seen in the documentary, and the aftermath of its airing. Panel participants will include Soledad O'brien, the documentary reporter, and Anchor of the CNN Morning Show, Jason Samuels, the producer of the Black In America Documentary, and New Me Participants Hajj Flemings, Hank Williams and New Me co-founder Wayne Sutton.

Human or Machine? Who really knows what videos you're going to like best? Online video curation is in a heated battle between algorithmic curation and human, editorial selection. Let's settle this debate once and for all. The war of humans versus machines has hit the battlefield of online video curation. Recommendation engines and discovery algorithms are rapidly taking over on some of the world's biggest video sites including YouTube. But a tight band of master human curators are fighting back, like Philip DeFranco and Neetzam Zimmerman (The Daily Wh.at). This session will take test subjects from the audience in a blind face-off to see whether the humans can beat the picks of YouTube's "AL" algorithm. Session is hosted by Marc Hustvedt (Chill, Tubefilter)

The rules have changed. The traditional PR model—sticking closely to a preset script and campaign timeline—no longer works the way it used to. Public discourse now moves so fast and so dynamically that all it takes is a single afternoon to blast the wheels off someone’s laboriously crafted narrative.Enter newsjacking: the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business. It creates a level playing field—literally anyone can newsjack—but, that new level favors players who are observant, quick to react, and skilled at communicating. It’s a powerful tool that can be used to throw an opponent or simply draft off the news momentum to further your own ends. Marketing and PR expert and bestselling author David Meerman Scott prepares you to launch your business ahead of the competition and attract the attention of highly-engaged audiences by taking advantage of breaking news

RFPs are like online dating. The WORST KIND of online dating. Imagine an online dating experience where all users have uniform information provided, one picture (and there's no telling how old it is...), a host of clinical, antiseptic statistics and data, and from that information, you have to select a date and commit to more than just one rendezvous. You have to commit to 6 months of dating.

This is what RFPs do. They take vendors and strip them of their individuality in the hopes of surfacing an illusion of an apples to apples comparison. Stripping creative firms of their creativity while presenting their capabilities and their work, is like trying out a new starting pitcher by asking him to write an article about Steve Carlton.

There has to be a better way. In this panel, business development professionals will speak to the RFP process and other options. Ways to circumnavigate an RFP will be discussed. Creative alternatives will be outlined and the strengths and weaknesses of RFPs will be analyzed. If you are building an RFP now, this is your intervention. If a project looms on the horizon, learn about your options. If you like a good war story, we'll be comparing scars like Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws.

Let's start architecting a better process. Let's provide a solution that maximizes creatives' capabilities and speaks to clients' requirements, all while building a project team that collaboratively launches an amazing result.

Luck favors the prepared. Build it and they will come. Pithy statements like these are recited on the belief that it takes movement to start action. Shortly before the “It Gets Better” campaign took off on Facebook and YouTube in response to the increase in teen suicide and bullying of GLBT youth, The Trevor Project – one of the main beneficiaries of “It Gets Better” – worked with Sensis on a complete redesign of their Website. Sensis approached Trevor as a pro-bono client and worked with them on increasing their focus from one of traditional development to digital outreach. Sensis and Trevor engaged hundreds of GLBT youth in an online research panel which helped the organization recognize the increasing popularity of digital and social media. The new look and feel of the Website and increased focus on social media in turn created a push for an institutional rebranding that breathed new life into this critical organization. With almost miraculous timing, the site launch and new digital focus coincided with the launch of the “It Gets Better” campaign. Hundreds of individual testimonials have been seen and shared by hundreds of thousands online. Google, NBC Universal and President Obama have all contributed videos with messages of hope and encouragement. In turn, this movement has helped galvanize the Trevor Project’s suicide prevention efforts and transform them as an organization. This panel will discuss how timing, perseverance and forward thinking with digital media helped give prominence to a pervasive problem in the gay, lesbian and transgender community.

The continuing global economic and political crisis should be wakeup call to the world. We need to rethink and rebuild many of the organizations and institutions that have served us well for decades, even centuries, but are no longer able. Many traditional economic and social pillars of the industrial age have come to the end of their life cycle. Yet, enabled by the digital revolution there is dramatic change occurring everywhere, from Cairo streets to Wall Street, from the lecture halls of our universities to the halls of government. How can we rethink our economy and society for the new age?

Don Tapscott is one of the world's leading thinkers about new new technology, new media and innovaiton in business and society. He is the author of 14 widely read books, most recently Macrowikinomics, and was recently chosen by the Thinkers50 organization as the 9th most important living business thinker in the world.

As online video consumption increases dramatically, your organization or cause should be developing long-term or campaign-focused strategies for film. Whether you intend to raise awareness or funds, using video efficiently & effectively could be the key to inspiring action.

This panel includes new media pioneer Dorothy Engelman, who specializes in creating content for non-profits & founder of Get Involved, a network for volunteers; Rob Dyer, founder of Skate4Cancer & star of multiple engaging online videos & short docs; & Sherien Barsoum, former social worker & documentarian behind ‘Colour Me’

This is a “come as you are” session meant to accommodate mixed levels of experience with minimal need for special equipment or previous experience (read: no mats or yoga clothing required.) Special emphasis is placed on postures and practices to help those of us that sit at desks and use computers regularly. Much of what you learn here will help you build a home/work practice that is therapeutic and adjustable to your needs. Yoga was created thousands of years ago as a way to clear the mind in preparation for enlightenment. What better way to prepare for for the busy days of networking, information and fun at SXSW? See you there!

Everybody talks about the “cloud” as if it is a digital savior. A beautiful white fluffy (free) cloud on a blue-sky day. Sounds nice, huh? But what if it’s a storm cloud? Today – there is a mad rush to move pictures, video, and event private data to the cloud. We live in a world today of constant connection. We’re blessed with unlimited access to pervasive communications. We are, in fact, shifting from an era of mere content abundance to an avalanche of undifferentiated data. Our hard drives runneth over. So - you can't blame your self for wanting to move to the cloud. Unlimited space for all your crap - and free. Who wouldn't sign up? Today the noisy web has resulted in the emergence of a handful of private, walled garden webs. A closed web. Will our cloud providers become information overloads? Can we save the web from privatization, and regain control over our data and our identities? Only if we move fast. Before ‘Big Data’ becomes ‘Big Government.’ Find out how digital ‘overload’ can insure power in the human web.

Imagine an app that could cut saturated fat from your diet. Or one that could cure gingivitis. Well, while technology has had a big role in making us more sedentary, it also has the potential to make us better informed, healthier and even more fit. In fact, patients are banking on this potential, which is why the AppStore offers more than 7,000 health apps for iPhone users alone. In this 60-min SXSW talk, Ina Fried of Dow Jones' All Things Digital sits down with Aetna Chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini to discuss how people are navigating this new landscape by using technology, especially mobile tech, to manage their health and make better health decisions. Already there are apps for testing eyesight, tracking exercise and even helping diabetics manage their glucose levels. Vast online communities complement these mobile apps by letting patients share, inform, and support one another. But what's next? Technology also has the potential to reshape the doctor-patient relationship, transforming it from one characterized by irregular visits to treat illness to true doctor-patient partnerships focused on wellness. And what about online health care records we hear so much about? We used to have a better chance of seeing bigfoot, but today companies like Aetna are making mobile health records a reality. Is this is a privacy breach in the making or are their real benefits to having this info on the go? This session is sponsored by Aetna.

What is an Electric Health Record (EHR)? In the HITECH Act, the Federal Government both answered the question and rendered it moot. They created a new term, "meaningful use." An EHR is that which can achieve meaningful use. But for SXSW, the important thing to understand is that pervasive EHR technology along with protocol-driven healthcare data exchange will serve to create the a new consistent "Operating System" and "Internet" for healthcare. Learn what you need to do to become a health IT geek; and profit.